AUTHOR, ATTORNEY, ADVOCATE

Teresa Burrell is author of the award-winning Advocate Series, The Tuper Mystery Series, as well as three children’s books. Her readers rave about The Advocate Series with the majority especially fond of her PI, JP Torn. Her main character, Sabre Orin Brown (her initials are S.O.B.) is a dedicated child advocate, who can’t seem to stay out of trouble herself.

Teresa was born in Minnesota where she lived the first five years of her life on a farm with her eight siblings. For the next five years she and her family traveled to California to get away from the harsh winters, but each spring they returned to the small midwestern town. Eventually, they stayed in southern California where she graduated from high school and college. After obtaining her teaching credential Teresa enjoyed a satisfying career in the classroom. She has taught children of all ages with diverse backgrounds and special needs. After creating an after-school program that kept kids off the street, she received a community service award.

Teresa has dedicated her life to helping children and their families in both the courtroom and the classroom. After twelve years of teaching, she entered the University of San Diego where she earned her Juris Doctorate degree. As an attorney in San Diego, Burrell maintained a private law practice for twelve years, which specialized in domestic, criminal, and civil cases. Her work in juvenile court focused on representing abused minors and juvenile delinquents. Burrell has received several awards and special recognition from the San Diego Volunteer Lawyers for her countless hours of pro bono work with children and their families.

Now in semi-retirement in California, Teresa continues to educate groups about social issues impacting children and write novels, many of which are inspired by actual legal cases. She is the author of The Advocate Series which now contains fourteen novels, The Advocate, The Advocate’s Betrayal, The Advocate’s Conviction, The Advocate’s Dilemma, The Advocate’s Ex Parte, The Advocate’s Felony, The Advocate’s Geocache, The Advocate’s Homicides, The Advocate’s Illusion, The Advocate’s Justice, The Advocate’s Killer, The Advocate’s Labyrinth, The Advocate’s Memory, and The Advocate’s Nightmare. The Advocate’s Felony received the San Diego Best Mystery Award, and seven of the books have received awards including the International Readers’ Favorite Award.

Teresa has also written three children’s books, along with illustrator, Zack Settle, called Gaspar, the Flatulating Ghost, and Gaspar, the Flatulating Ghost Meets a Bully, and Gaspar, the Flatulating Ghost Flies a Kite. This series is designed to entertain as well as help children deal with problems they confront on a daily basis.

Her Tuper Mystery series has four books: Mason’s Missing, Finding Frankie, Recovering Rita, and Liberating Lana. These books star Tuper, a character from book 6 of The Advocate Series. Tuper was a fan-favorite when he first appeared in The Advocate’s Felony.

Listen to Teresa’s interview with East County Magazine’s Bookshelf: